Emory Law Dean Mary Anne Bobinski has named Professor Darren Lenard Hutchinson to lead the Emory University School of Law Center for Civil Rights and Social Justice. The new center will enhance the law school’s already rich focus on issues of civil rights, human rights, and social justice. It will serve as a hub for interdisciplinary scholarship, research, teaching, evidence-based policy reform, and community outreach that improves the lives of individuals who have experienced violations of their civil rights and been impacted by social injustice.

The center was established in September, thanks to a transformative gift to Emory University from the Southern Company Foundation. The grant, totaling $7 million, with $5 million reserved for the new center, will be one of the most substantial gifts dedicated to an academic center for civil rights and social justice in Georgia and the largest single gift to Emory Law.

“Emory Law’s strategic plan established civil rights and social justice as key areas of focus for research, teaching, and community engagement,” says Bobinski. “Professor Hutchinson is the natural choice to lead our efforts to address long-standing challenges related to civil rights and social justice through research and university and community partnerships.”   

"I am honored to serve as the John Lewis Chair in Civil Rights and Social Justice and to collaborate with others on this important project. The center will diversify the scholarly environment at Emory and provide important resources to students, faculty, staff, and the broader Atlanta community," says Hutchinson.

Hutchinson joined the Emory Law faculty during the summer of 2021 as the inaugural John Lewis Chair for Civil Rights and Social Justice. The philanthropically funded John Lewis Chair for Civil Rights and Social Justice is intended to serve as a lasting tribute to the legacy of “good trouble” advocated by the late congressman from Georgia’s Fifth District and establish Emory Law as a leader in teaching, research, and community engagement related to civil rights and social justice.